Mobile devices, such as mobile phones, have relatively small displays, as compared to stationary devices with relatively larger displays, such as desktop computers, televisions, and the like. As a consequence, when a user desires to search and/or browse a collection of digital items on his/her mobile device, the number of items that can be simultaneously presented on the display screen is somewhat limited. Current user interfaces accommodate browsing a large collection of items on mobile displays by providing mechanisms (e.g., touch screen controls, hard or soft buttons, other pointing devices, etc.) that allow a user to scroll through a list of items or pan across a web page presenting the items in a two-dimensional (2D) matrix. In these scenarios, some of the items must move off the screen to make room for displaying new items as the user scrolls.
Browsing items in this manner can be a challenge for a user at least because it can be difficult for the user to recall how to get back to previously viewed items after those items have moved off of the screen. For example, the user may have to remember to scroll up a few pages (or clicks) in order to get back to a previously viewed item of interest. In this scenario, the user is typically hazarding a guess as to how many pages he/she must scroll through before finding the previously viewed. If the user is browsing a large collection of items, it can be difficult to remember this information. Therefore, the user will not be able to compare items easily and may not explore as many items as the user would otherwise like to.
In a physical browsing environment (e.g., a brick-and-mortar retail store with tangible items sitting on shelves), users have an easier time (as compared to virtual browsing) recalling where previously viewed items are located, and can more easily recall how to get back to those items that are no longer in the user's sight. This recall ability is lacking in virtual browsing experiences.